Thanks Angus. I wasn't goint to let this one die just like that either!
This Is now broarding out to a more general debate about Ag flying income. Good because this is one of the biggest issues facing the industry at the moment. It's just that I'm not sure the industry as a whole has realised it yet.
When I first started in the industry in the early eighties Ag drivers were considered to be pretty well paid by people inside and outside of the industry.
I could show you example after example of comparasons of me against friends and family of mine in the yearly income department.
I was way ahead,and life for the future of raising and educating a family and doing pretty well generally was looking good.
As hard as I try now I cannot see that picture. What I find now talking to guys is that they think that they are doing pretty well perticularly when comparing to other jobs in the bush. In that regard they are probably right. But boys the bush is buggered!! If you compare youself now to the wider Australian working community you are in for a big shock. A lawn mower man on the coast is knocking you off and he doesn't have anything like the stress and the risks that we do.
Another way that I kept up with how I was going generally and compared to the wider community was always having a Sydney based accountant. Twenty years ago he said "Agwaggon you are doing very well mate." Ten years ago he said "mate that was ok but you would do better if you had some help from your wife." (income help he ment!) Five years ago he shook his head and said" this is not very good mate".
Those statements are pretty much word for word as I remember them and he was 100% correct.
The bottom line is if you want to make a living this way in the future you better bloody well love it to death, because your not going to make a lot of bugs bunny in it. Thats a pretty hard thing to do after a few years and a few funerals!
I liked Turbo's comments. They are right on the money and very simple logic. The thing is though that Ag pilots are generally in it for the money. There are exceptions sure but as a generalization thats a fact. To expand further they are generally a bunch of money hungry mercenary pricks! And to expand further again do you know what most of the money hungry mercenery ones eventually become ???
Operators ladies and gentlemen!
So whilst Turbo is very right in his thoughts there are precious few of either on either side of the fence.